Warmth from a Cold Stone Fireplace
by Mirlanthiriel
Summary: A discussion between Draco and Snape after the events in the HalfBlood Prince. I may continue this later but for now it is a oneshot.


"What have I done?" Snape covered his face with his hands and rubbed his forehead. A whimper from across the room compelled him to look up.

Draco Malfoy sat huddled in an old worn black leather chair. He looked like a child; the Malfoy heir no longer resembled the proud young man he had always seemed. The blond wept for the deed he had almost done and events that followed.

Snape narrowed his eyes and cursed silently. Part of him was glad the boy had failed, even proud; however, young Malfoy's failure had ruined Severus Snape's only constant security in life. Dumbledore was dead. The old man would no longer be there to defend him. While his actions this night had secured his loyalty to the Dark Lord, the Dark Lord would still not be pleased. Snape's position as a spy within the Order was now eliminated. Snape's value to the dark wizard had significantly deteriorated.

Snape closed his eyes.

"Severus please…" he heard the old man's dieing voice in his mind. The memory of his last words would haunt him forever.

Draco looked up and wiped the tears from his face. They had been sitting in silence for some time now. He looked around the shabby looking room where they were now sitting. He then looked to Snape.

"Why did you do it?" The boy's words were flat.

Severus opened his eyes and studied the younger wizard. He did not answer. He had asked himself the same question over and over since he uttered the killing curse. He had no answer to give.

The sound of rain could be heard outside. Snape's eyes were drawn to a place within the empty fireplace where water dripped from a leaky place in the chimney.

Snape could feel the boy's eyes on him.

Severus tried to reason with himself, to find a way to understand his own actions. He had never really agreed with the Order, or with the Dark Lord for that matter. He had not been the ideal, self-sacrificing, spy Dumbledore often made him out to be to the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Severus' loyalties had always been to the one person who he could count on most and that was to himself. He tried to understand how his actions only hours ago coincided with his deep sense of self-preservation. He had not gone up to the tower expecting to murder.

The dark wizard looked into the cold fireplace. It had been many years since warmth had graced its hearth. He tried to remember what the glow of fire looked like in that place; however, the chill in the air and the constant dipping water pooling within the grate made this impossible.

"Why?" Draco asked again.

This angered the dark man. He stood abruptly, drew his wand and defended himself from the younger man's echoing question.

Draco stiffened at the older wizard's sudden movement and held his breath. The man who had murdered Albus Dumbledore now had his wand at his throat.

"Why?" Snape's hard voice stilled the rain. "You ask why?" Snape's lips curled in disgust. He lowered his wand.

The young Malfoy remained in his stiff position, as though the wand was still being held to him.

"You failed to complete your task. You are a worthless excuse of a wizard Malfoy, just like your father."

Draco did not disagree completely with his former head of house's assessment. There were so many things he should have done differently. His mind had run through a series of 'if only's.

Getting no response from the defeated Malfoy heir Snape continued his moment of fury. "You have ruined everything." Snape stared hard at the young man. Draco looked into his lap and Snape sank back down into his chair with exhausting defeat.

There was a long silence.

Sometime later Severus looked back to the young man. Draco was now examining the empty fireplace.

"What will you do now?" Snape asked the younger man.

Draco's eyes quickly locked on his one time mentor. "What do you think will happen now? I cannot return to school. What do you think the Dark Lord…"

"The Dark Lord will have you killed." Snape's voice sliced though whatever Draco was about to say.

The younger man went ridged. He knew the Dark Lord would not be pleased; however, he did not think…

"He may kill us both for that matter," Snape added.

"What will you do?" Draco asked.

Snape glared at the younger wizard. "That is none of your business."

Draco stood up. "I… am sorry professor?"

After another moment of dead silence, something seemed to melt within the dark wizard. The emptiness within his heart seemed not quite so empty for a moment. He nodded and accepted the younger man's apology. "You should go."

Draco now understood. Snape would return to the Dark Lord. Snape had a chance in surviving the Dark Lord's wrath. The young Slytherin prince had little left to protect him. He had lost the protection of his father, of Hogwarts and in failing to kill Dumbledore he had failed to obtain the protection awarded to those in the service of the Dark Lord. He thought of his mother and began to cry. As soon as his failure was made known she would be killed and his father would not last long within the walls of Azkaban.

"I have failed." Draco's voice was barely a whisper.

Snape's voice startled the young man. "No Draco. You did not fail."

Draco looked up somewhat startled. He was more surprised by the older wizard's tone of voice than by the actual words.

Snape relaxed into his chair. He let the remaining barriers of protraction that he had come to wrap around himself fall. He allowed the young wizard to see the pain he was feeling.

"You have not failed. I have Draco. I should not have said what I did. You did what was right… In truth…" Snape looked to the empty fireplace and used his wand to light a fire. He looked back to the young man who still looked as though he did not believe what he was hearing. "In truth, I am proud of what you have done… or shall we say not done. It is I who have failed."

The fire began to warm the room.


End file.
